Synopsis: When Alex Patrick was assaulted by another student last year, her elite boarding school wouldn't do anything about it. This year Alex is head of the Mockingbirds, a secret society of students who police and protect the student body. While she desperately wants to live up to the legacy that's been given to her, she's now dealing with a case unlike any the Mockingbirds have seen before.

It isn't rape. It isn't bullying. It isn't hate speech. A far-reaching prescription drug ring has sprung up, and students are using the drugs to cheat. But how do you try a case with no obvious victim? Especially when the facts don't add up, and each new clue drives a wedge between Alex and the people she loves most: her friends, her boyfriend, and her fellow Mockingbirds.

As Alex unravels the layers of deceit within the school, the administration, and even the student body the Mockingbirds protect, her struggle to navigate the murky waters of vigilante justice may reveal more about herself than she ever expected.

Review: The Mockingbirds are back! However, this time they are dealing with a so-called 'victimless' crime, which is trickier than any case they've ever dealt with before. When the trail starts to unravel and Alex's world starts to fall apart, will she be able to make the right decisions?

I highly enjoyed The Mockingbirds (please click on the link below to see my review) and I was not disappointed by The Rivals. I think that it's very disturbing when the faculty don't want to actually help any of the students with issues - they just give them a pamphlet and send them along their way. The test scores and trophies mean more the administration than the actual students. Which is why the Mockingbirds exist. Now someone wants to take them out of the equation and it's up to Alex and the other Mockingbirds to find out what is really going on. A great second book in this series!!

1 comment:

I was uncomfortable with the first book's vigilante justice stance as adults were never even approached about the rape; that marred my enjoyment of what was otherwise a great book. So I'm definitely interested to see how the mockingbirds act in this book when the adults do ignore a presented problem.